


King Cedric the Great

by Jathis



Series: King Cedric [2]
Category: Sofia the First (Cartoon)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Bittersweet Ending, Forgiveness, Hand Feeding, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28007532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: ((Sequel to I’m Meant To Be))Tyrants do not last and Cedric learns this the hard way.He is surprised to find who is still with him.
Relationships: Baileywick/Cedric the Sorcerer
Series: King Cedric [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2051343
Kudos: 6





	King Cedric the Great

The only reason why Roland spared his life was because of the mercy he had shown to Miranda and the children. The returning king had even pushed aside several soldiers who had been ready to finish him off. If not for what he had done for Miranda and the children, he would have been thrown inside of an iron bull in front of the kingdom he had tormented for months and left to be burned alive as his screams made it sound like the bull was calling out.

Whether this was really mercy or not was still very much up for debate. Death would have ended his suffering. Being alive just prolonged everything.

Roland had been able to gather allies during his time in exile. He found his wife and children living in a small settlement in Tangu, the servants that had fled with their frozen forms still with them. Several kingdoms had been taken over by their own royal sorcerers but with the help of Merlin and others they were dethroned and the Royals put back in power. With this renewed source of power, the rest of the kingdoms taken by the Order of the Wand were recaptured.

Enchancia was the last kingdom. Several armies from numerous kingdoms came together to help Roland take back his throne. The power of the Amulet was a fearsome thing and every precaution was taken to try and take the castle with as little bloodshed as possible.

It was Sofia who helped her father defeat Cedric. She had told him everything she knew about the Amulet and told him about how magic was not infinite, sooner or later it needs to rest. With this in mind, Roland had been able to draw Cedric out and forced him to burn away his magical power by using all of the shields he had been given, both magical and otherwise. Once Cedric’s magic had grown weaker in his mad frustration, Sofia herself had been able to take the amulet back from him and Enchancia was freed.

Baileywick regained his strength and health after a proper amount of rest after his release from the dungeon. The loyal steward had initially tried to refuse any honors from the king. “I am the royal steward. I serve the royal family,” he said. “Helping you escape was part of my duty.”

Roland however was soon able to convince Baileywick to allow him to give him _something_ for his help in the kingdom’s return. A medal was pinned onto his uniform and the steward could only bow his head, requesting to be allowed to return to work.

***

Baileywick watched quietly as one of the cooks ladled vegetable stew into a bowl a third of the way. He politely coughed once and the cook filled it almost to the rim of the bowl. “Thank you,” he said as he set the bowl onto a tray. He then looked over the rolls meant for dinner and chose two of them, placing them beside the bowl.

“Don’t forget this,” Violet said.

He blinked and looked up, raising an eyebrow at the fly-cake the maid offered him. He smiled and nodded in thanks, adding the fly-cake to the tray before picking it up and leaving the kitchen.

He walked through the halls of the newly restored palace. Sofia and several other magic users had helped to undo what Cedric had done to the castle, bringing back the light and openness that had been there before. Everything felt like home again and he often found himself breathing a sigh of relief as he looked at restored glass mosaics and paintings of former kings and queens.

The paintings that portrayed anything related to Cedric had all been burned.

He held the tray up as he made his way down the stone steps. He avoided spilling anything as he went. At the bottom of the steps he adjusted the items on the tray for a moment and then walked over to the guard in charge of the dungeon. He silently accepted the key from the other, bowing his head in thanks before continuing his journey.

Baileywick’s time in the dungeon had been filled with darkness. The only time there was light was when Cedric came down to try and convince him to change loyalties or when a guard brought food. The memory made him shiver and he closed his eyes, standing in the middle of the hall. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, sighing as he continued down to where the only prisoner was being kept.

King Cedric the Great was kept in heavy restraints as both a punishment and precaution. He was kept on his knees, manacles locked around his ankles with chains that were too short to let him stand up. His wrists had been chained up above his head and spread out, given just enough slack to avoid causing any serious damage to his limbs. A thick iron collar was placed around his throat and the lock was melted shut to ensure it could never come off without hurting him. A chain connected to the floor was then attached to the front of the collar, keeping him from being able to lift his head up more than a few inches.

Cedric’s cell had one large window that allowed the light to come down on him. He could lift his head up just enough to look outside and see Enchancia healing. Life was moving on without him. Nothing he did left any lasting effect. He was locked away, still dressed in the tattered and torn silks he had worn as king; a final punishment for the former royal sorcerer and self-proclaimed king.

Baileywick stepped into the cell with the tray of food. “It’s supper time,” he said as he started to walk towards the miserable looking figure.

“Go away,” Cedric hissed through gritted teeth. He grunted as Baileywick primly sat down in front of him with his legs crossed, trying to pull back and away from him. “Go away!” he snarled.

He set the tray down in front of himself and looked Cedric over. He was still bruised and hurt from the battle. Baileywick was glad that the man’s black eye was finally clearing up, allowing him to at least partially open it. He could see signs of irritation on his wrists and around his throat. He would have to tend to that before it opened his skin.

“Today’s supper is vegetable stew and some dinner rolls,” he said. “Violet even added a fly-cake for dessert.”

“I don’t want it.”

“The cook has been working on the stew since this morning. It should be very good,” Baileywick continued as he picked up a spoon. He dipped it into the stew and blew carefully on it, holding the spoon out to Cedric with a hand under it to avoid spilling anything.

Cedric clenched his hands into impotent fists. He lifted his head up to glare at Baileywick, shaking his head. “You’re wasting your time!”

He ate the spoonful himself with a shrug, humming in appreciation of the taste. “Very good. I think he changed the recipe to better bring out the flavor,” he said. He picked up a roll and ripped it in half, appreciating how soft it looked. He dipped a piece into the bowl and then held it close to Cedric’s lips again. “The rolls are freshly baked,” he said.

He yanked uselessly on his chains, letting out a scream of frustration. His body fell limp when his energy was spent and he slumped forward. Slowly he opened his mouth and he took the bread from Baileywick’s hand.

Baileywick fed him both dinner rolls dipped into the stew. When finished he picked up the bowl and brought it to the other’s lips. “It should be cooled down enough,” he said. He watched in approval as the other finally ate the stew. 

He held the bowl in one hand, running his fingers through Cedric’s hair in comfort. He frowned at how the once soft hair felt greasy. “I should bring down some soap and water to give it a wash,” he murmured.

He and Cedric finished the stew together. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wipe the corners of the other’s mouth. “A good supper always helps,” he murmured.

“Why are you doing this?” Cedric tearfully asked. He lifted his head as far as he could, tears falling from his one undamaged eye. “You’re the only one who comes down here. You feed me by hand after I locked you away. Why? Why won’t you leave me to rot like everyone else has?”

Baileywick shrugged, carefully wiping away Cedric’s tears. He picked up the fly-cake and smiled. “Why didn’t you have me executed?”

“I…”

“Why did you have them feed me?”

Cedric ran his tongue over his lips. “I was prolonging your sentence,” he tried, unable to look in his eyes.

“Is that why you made sure my sickness never went too far and healed me?” He set the fly-cake down, cupping Cedric’s face between his palms as the other started to weep. “Shhh…” He held him until all of his tears were spent, stroking his face and back in comfort. He cleaned his face with his handkerchief, smiling sadly as he pressed his forehead to Cedric’s. “I’m here,” he promised.

“I’m sorry,” Cedric whimpered. “I’m so sorry…”

“I know. I know you are, Cedric.”

“I never meant for this to happen. I was supposed to be great and loved by everyone and I..!”

Baileywick pressed a finger to his lips, cutting him off. “Shh no more talking about it. I’m not here to talk about dark times.”

The steward stayed with the former king for several hours, keeping him company.


End file.
